KUCHING: Chief Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg described the passing of former deputy chief minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Dr Wong Soon Kai as a great loss to Sarawak.
“It is a loss to Sarawak because Datuk Patinggi Wong Soon Kai had contributed a lot to the stability of Sarawak,” Johari said.
He also described the late Wong as development-oriented who believed that with stability then every community will be able to take part in the process of development.
“When Soon Kai joined politics, we were not very stable at that time. Then he came in and he brought new ideas while at the same time getting the Chinese community to take part in our development exercise,” said Johari, who is also Barisan Nasional Sarawak chairman and PBB president.
“And he is also very fair and far-sighted leader. It is a great loss to Sarawak,” said the Chief Minister who is now in Hong Kong on a working visit.
A one-minute and seven seconds recording of his comment was sent through whatsApp by his press secretary Ambrose Cheng yesterday.
Soon Kai, a former SUPP president and deputy chief minister passed away in Kuching at 4.00am yesterday. He was 90. He left behind a wife Datuk Seri Dr Jane Yong, three children Dr Wong Chee Liang, Dr Wong Chee May and Wong Chee Ling and grandchildren to mourn his death.
Wong was the first Sarawakian to graduate as a surgeon in Britain in 1959. Wong and his wife graduated as doctors from the King Edward College VII College of Medicine, Universiti Malaya in 1947. Among his classmates were former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and his wife Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali.
He served as a government doctor for 15 years and spent another four years in private practice before entering politics and becoming a state minister in 1974.
Soon Kai was SUPP president from 1991 to 1996. He also held several ministerial positions and served as the Deputy Chief Minister from 1994 to 1996.
Soon Kai served as Science Advisor for Sarawak Government since 1997.
Wong graduated with MBBS from Universiti Malaya, Singapore and was a member of FRCS of England and Edinburg.
Wong was instrumental in convincing his party leaders during the infamous political coup, the Ming Court Affair of 1987, to support then chief minister Taib Mahmud.
